By Paul Cooley
GERRY - More than 150 professional cowboys and cowgirls from 19 states have registered to compete for $30,000 in prize money at the Gerry Fire Department's 67th annual PRCA rodeo which opens Thursday and continues for four performances through Sunday.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in Colorado Springs made the announcement following the deadline for entries on Friday. The list is led by the women's barrel racing which has 42 entries, followed by 30 competitors in tie-down roping and 25 bull riders. All of the competitors must be current members of either the PRCA or the Women's Professional Rodeo Cowgirls Association (WPRCA) and registration for all sanctioned rodeos is done through the Colorado Springs office.
This week's competition begins on Thursday at 8 p.m. and continues Friday and Saturday evenings with a final show on Sunday at 2 p.m. All seven traditional rodeo events - bareback and saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, and bull riding - will be featured at each performance.
Each competitor must pay an entry fee for any event entered, with those fees ranging from $55 to $125, depending on the event. These entry fees are added to money put up by the fire department and other sponsors to provide the total prize money. In addition, the winner of each event is presented with a specially designed Montana Silversmiths belt buckle.
The stock contractor for the 22nd year is the Barnes Rodeo Company of Peterson, Iowa, which has been producing rodeos across the country for 58 years.
In addition to the rodeo competition, the show will include comedy provided by rodeo clown Johnny "Backflip" Dudley with his mechanical bull and Flower, his pet skunk. Special events for children in the crowd include ''mutton bustin,'' the calf scramble and the nickel dive, all of which allow the children to actually get into the rodeo arena.
The midway has more than 20 vendors with everything from candy apples and cotton candy to Western wear and souvenirs, along with face painting, sand art and pony rides for the kids.
The famous barbecue beef dinners are served beginning at 5 p.m. each evening and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Full dinners including dessert and drink cost $10 for adults and combination tickets for both the rodeo and dinner are available at reduced rates.
Additional information is available by phone at 985-4847 or toll free at 1-888-985-4847 or on the web at www.gerryrodeo.org
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